Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic elected as the American Capital of Culture 2010

The city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic has been elected by the International Bureau of Cultural Capitals (www.ibocc.org) as the American Capital of Culture 2010 (www.cac-acc.org). Santo Domingo will take over from the city of Asunción (Paraguay) as the cultural reference of the Americas starting on 1 January. Xavier Tudela, President of the Bureau, has stated that “the designation of Santo Domingo as the American Capital of Culture 2010 will give a new impulse to the promotion and international awareness of what is a rich Dominican culture”. Santo Domingo de Guzmán, normally called Santo Domingo, is the first city founded by Europeans in America. It is the capital of the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1496 by Bartolomé Colón, it was moved later by Nicolás de Ovando in 1502 to the place it occupies today (the Colonial Zone), a place declared as a World Heritage site by the Unesco. The most important buildings of the colonial era include the American Primas' Cathedral, the first Catholic Cathedral on the American continent; the Alcázar de Colón, once the residence of Don Diego Colón, the son of Christopher Columbus, who became Viceroy of the colony; the Monastery of San Francisco, the ruins of the first monastery in America; the Museum of the Casas Reales, the former Palace of the Governor General and the Palace of Royal Audiences; the Columbus Park, a historic square; the Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest fortress in America; the National Pantheon, a former Jesuit edifice now hosting the remains of various renown Dominicans; and the Dominican convent’s church, the first convent in America. The city of Santo Domingo has a population of 900,000 inhabitants, with some two million people in its metropolitan area. The Dominican Republic has a territory of almost fifty thousand square kilometres and a population of nine million people. For further information on the destination please contact: ESP: esp@esthersmith.biz or esp-bobby@hotmail.com Tel/fax: 01962 711239 – Mobile: 07768 901197 Website: www.godominicanrepublic.com About Dominican Republic: Rich in history, the Dominican Republic’s first tourist was Christopher Columbus in 1492. Since then, it has developed into a diverse and luxurious destination offering both Dominican Republic and European flavours to more than 220,000 British visitors each year. A leader in eco-tourism, the Dominican Republic created the world’s first Whale Sanctuary and has established protection zones for more than 20 percent of its land and coastal areas. The country boasts some of the world’s best golf courses and beaches, the largest marinas in the Caribbean and is a chosen escape for celebrities, couples and families. Visit the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism’s official Web site at: www.godominicanrepublic.com or call +44 (0)20 7242 7778. Notes for Editors: The American Capital of Culture, created in 1998, aims to promote Inter-American integration from the cultural sphere, contributing to a better knowledge among the American continent’s people, whilst having respect for their national and regional diversity, highlighting common cultural heritage at the same time. The American Capital of Culture Organization is a member of the International Bureau of Cultural Capitals, which internationally promotes the cities being named as cultural capitals and establishes new cooperation bridges with Europe, a continent having its cultural capital established since 1985. It is accredited at the Organization of American States (OAS) and has been recognized by the Latin American and European Parliaments. To date, the following cities have been designated as the American Capital of Culture: Mérida (México) 2000; Iquique (Chile) 2001; Maceió (Brazil) 2002; City of Panama (Panamá) and Curitiba (Brazil) 2003; Santiago (Chile) 2004; Guadalajara (México) 2005; Córdoba (Argentina) 2006; Cusco (Peru) 2007; Brasilia (Brazil) 2008; Asunción (Paraguay) 2009, and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) 2010. The International Bureau of Cultural Capitals (www.ibocc.org) is a body that brings together the American Capital of Culture (www.cac-acc.org); the Brazilian Capital of Culture (www.capitalbrasileiradacultura.org); the US Capital of Culture (www.culturalcapital.us); and the Catalan Capital of Culture (www.ccc.cat); as consolidated initiatives, plus other planned cultural capital projects such as the Capital of Spanish Culture (www.ccesp.org).

Link: www.godominicanrepublic.com

Back